Appeals court upholds Nintendo victory over IA Labs in patent lawsuit

Companies that prevail in patent lawsuits can't relax until the inevitable appeal is over -- just ask Motorola. Nintendo, however, can take a momentary break. A US Court of Appeals just upheld the company's win over IA Labs, declaring that the Wii Balance Board doesn't infringe on an IA Labs patent. While the ruling isn't all that vital when the accessory is now a rarity at best, it puts IA Labs on the hook for Nintendo's $236,000 attorney bill. It also sends a warning to other companies plotting similar legal assaults, although we'd still expect lawsuits when other patent holders are hitting paydirt.

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Court of Appeals Upholds Nintendo Win in Patent Lawsuit

Court Says Nintendo Does Not Infringe, Upholds Attorney Fee Award

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld Nintendo's victory in a patent-infringement case brought against Nintendo by IA Labs CA, LLC. The Court of Appeals agreed with the lower court that Nintendo did not infringe IA Labs' patent (U.S. Patent No. 7,121,982), and it upheld the lower court's ruling that IA Labs must pay Nintendo more than $236,000 in attorneys' fees.

"We are very pleased with the court's decision," said Richard Medway, Nintendo of America's deputy general counsel. "Nintendo has a long history of developing innovative products while respecting the intellectual property rights of others. We also vigorously defend patent lawsuits, like the IA Labs lawsuit, when we firmly believe that we have not infringed another party's patent."